1. Field
The at least one embodiment relates to a developing unit and an image forming apparatus having the same, and more particularly, to a developing unit of a two-piece type which is separated from a toner supply unit (toner receptacle) and an image forming apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus adopting electrophotography technology generally performs a printing operation by forming an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier (referred to as a photosensitive drum or a photosensitive body), developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image, and transferring the toner image to a printing medium such as printing paper. Representative examples of such an image forming apparatus are laser printers, copiers, and facsimile machines.
The image forming apparatus includes a body to stack/supply a printing medium and drive various rollers, and a developing unit (imaging unit) mounted in the body to form an image. The developing unit may be classified into a one-piece type and a two-piece type according to lifespan, speed, developing method, and system layout. In the case of a developing unit of a one-piece type, a toner supply unit (commonly called a toner receptacle) is integrally formed with the developing unit. On the other hand, in the case of a developing unit of a two-piece type, a toner supply unit is separated from the developing unit and is provided as a separate element. In the two-piece type, the toner supply unit and the developing unit may be called “a toner cartridge” and a “developing cartridge”, respectively. Hereinafter, the developing unit is referred to as, but not limited to, a developing unit of a two-piece type, which is separated from a toner supply unit.
The developing unit and the toner supply unit of the two-piece type are removably mounted in the body of the image forming apparatus separately. Therefore, the developing unit and the toner supply unit are provided with handles for the sake of a user's convenience when they are mounted or carried by a user. In general, the handle of the developing unit is formed on an outer surface of an upper portion of a developing unit body, and the toner supply unit is disposed substantially adjacent to an upper portion of the developing unit. Therefore, the toner supply unit may be hindered from being disposed closer to the developing unit due to the presence of the handle of the developing unit.
In this case, the image forming apparatus body including the developing unit and the toner supply unit should guarantee a larger space for the handle of the developing unit. However, enlarging the space for the handle in the image forming apparatus body goes against a trend toward miniaturization of the image forming apparatus and thus is not preferable.